5 Reasons Why Freelancers Should Accept Online Payments

Freelancing, accept, credi card, Freelancers, funds, Online, payments, paypal, professionalism, transfer

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:18:22 +0000

This article was written for Inspirationfeed by Debbie Allen .Debbie is a professional writer and blogger who specializes in topics of interest to women and online marketing strategies. More and more people are discovering the pleasures of freelancing. Whether they decide to freelance on a full-time basis or just to supplement their income, it’s a way to gain some control in a unique way. Accepting online payments can be a simple process. But in some cases, getting paid is not as simple as it could be. Accepting online payments can simplify the process for everyone concerned. In fact, there are several reasons that accepting online payments is a good idea. Some of the most important ones are discussed below. Most Freelance Work Is Online This means the company the freelancer works for may be located in another part of the country or even in another part of the world. Obviously, dropping off completed work at the office and picking up a check is out of the question. Instead, the completed work will likely be emailed to the company. Invoices, also, will likely be emailed to the business that requested the work. The good news is, there are numerous templates for online invoices. Plus, most online payment services, such as PayPal, provide invoice platforms. This allows the freelancer to quickly create and send professional invoices, which are more likely to be paid promptly. Reliability with Credit Card Payments When freelancers opt to accept online payments, they actually have options. With an online payment processor, they can choose to accept credit card payments. This is a reliable payment option; however, a fee may be involved. Credit card payments can be accepted over the phone. Just collect all the pertinent information and enter it as appropriate. Accepting mobile payments is another option. There are both paid and free mobile credit card reader app programs available. This allows freelancers to swipe cards, get authorization, and collect signatures while on the go. Enjoy Electronic Transfer Funds Some freelancers prefer to have their payments transferred to their bank account electronically. In order to use this service, the bank routing number and account number must be shared with the person/business that will be paying the funds. A direct deposit is made into your bank account. PayPal PayPal is a popular online payment option. It can be used for accepting payments, making payments, or even for transferring funds to your bank account. Plus, PayPal offers a debit card. In most cases, the only information needed when using PayPal for accepting online payments is an associated email account. Professionalism Accepting online payments is another way to make freelancers appear more professional. Besides the fact that it seems less than professional, many clients will consider it an inconvenience to hassle with checks or money orders. Freelancers have an opportunity to set their own schedule and therefore to have time freedom that many other people envy. Taking advantage of the many tools and strategies available, like accepting online payments, will help ensure that success will be achieved.

 

How Technology Has Changed Over The Centuries

Technology, centuries, changed, cleaner, handset, hoover, Mobile, phone, portable, public, technology, transport, vacuum

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:12:34 +0000

This article was written for Inspirationfeed by Emma Parkinson. Emma has contributed this guest post article on behalf of Concept CAD who offer printed circuit board design to businesses while being one of the only bureaus in the UK. Are you aware of how impressively technology has escalated? The following is a small timeline of popular modern day technology based on the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries – that’s 300 years worth of tech; looking into cars, cameras, computers and more. Perhaps you sometimes wonder how we could live without our mobile phones or computers – would we even survive without such luxuries!? You’re about to find out. Music Music has always meant a great deal in everybody’s lives whether it was to listen and dance to or to go and watch your favorite band. Let’s face it, without music our lives would be pretty pointless – as Friedrich Nietzsche quoted: “Without music, life would be a mistake.” And he is right! When it came to technology and music, the 1800s introduced us to the Jukebox. Arriving in 1889 and invented by Louis Glass, who received help from pal William S Arnold, recordings had become popular primarily through coin-in-the-slot phonographs in public places such as restaurants and diners. Further enhancements were made in early 1900s with Lee Deforest inventing AM radio that allowed for a multitude of radio stations. He was also the first person who used the word ‘radio’. In 1933 radio technology was progressed by Edwin Armstrong who invented FM radio with super heterodyne tuner that allowed radios to tune into different radio stations. Fast forward to the 21st century and, in 2001, Apple announced the iPod, which was a portable music digital player invented by Steve Jobs. The iPod was announced months shortly after the release of iTunes. A program that converts audio CDs into compressed digital audio files, iTunes could organise your digital music collection. iTunes also allows you to buy online music files which you can simply add to your iPod. Cars A car is the well known way of getting around – the preferred mode of transport for getting from ‘A to B’. Without cars, just imagine how busy public transport would be! 1700 marked the beginning of automobile which took many decades worth of planning by several inventors. Sometime around 1833, Robert Anderson invented the first crude electric-powered carriage powered by non-rechargeable primary cells. Further improvements were made in 1835 when a small scale electric car was invented by Thomas Davenport, the inventor of the first American-built DC electric motor. The Ford Model T produced by Henry Ford was regarded as the first affordable automobile and was named the world’s most influential car of the 20th century. The Model T was set as the historic year that the automobile became popular in 1908. Moving swiftly on to the current century, Ettore Bugatti invented the Bugatti which was awarded ‘car of the decade’ in 2005. Camera Photographs are a great way of capturing memories throughout your life. It’s something to look back on and remember that chapter in your life. Cameras are everywhere now, and the quality is only getting better! Before the terms “megapixels” and “HD” were ever likely to become commonplace, back in the 1800s Joseph Nicephore Niepce used a sliding wooden box to take photographs. As our thirst for capturing a moment intensified, Edwin H. Land Invented the Polaroid Instant Cameras were developed and first sold from 1948. Produced by Nikon in early 2009, a DSLR was released, which was the first DSLR to feature video recording. Nowadays though, cameras are everywhere. Heck, you can even take high resolution images with your mobile phone. Computer Computers have come a long way in the last three centuries. Now everyone has access to a computer that is hooked up to the web – ah the possibilities! Believe it or not, the computers and technical PCB designs we know today can be traced back to 1837 where Charles Babbage proposed the first general mechanical computer, the Analytical Engine. The Analytical Engine contained an Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), basic flow control, and integrated memory and was the first general-purpose computer concept. Produced by Italian manufacturer Olivetti, the Programma 101, released in 1965, was the first commercial desktop computer and helped to pave the way for the office environments we’re privy to today. In 2011, IBM announced the Smart Cloud framework to support Smarter Planet. Among the various components of the Smarter Computing foundation, cloud computing is a critical piece. The Telephone Without the telephone there would be no way of getting in contact with people unless we meet them face to face. What did we ever do if we had an emergency? You can’t imagine what it was like before telephones become a way of communication. The popularity of telephones has soared to an extreme amount – with over 999 billion phone users worldwide! In the 1870s, the telephone was invented by Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell both independently designed devices that could transmit speech electrically. Dr. Martin Cooper invented the first portable handset and was the first person to make a call on the portable cell phone in 1973. The Motorola Dyna-Tac was the first commercial mobile phone invented. Touch screen mobile devices – or smartphones – have become wildly popular in the 21st century after Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007. What started out as a means of communication between one voice and another is now so much more than that. Hoover/Vacuum Cleaner The hoover – or the Vacuum Cleaner – was, and probably still is, the main key to cleaning. The vacuum cleaner evolved from the carpet sweeper which was dedicated to cleaning up carpet, but now carpet is becoming less popular with laminate flooring taking over. The Hoover, or what is often referred to as the Vacuum Cleaner, was the first hand pumped Vacuum Cleaner, and was invented in 1860 by Daniel Hess. In 1901, H. Cecil Booth introduced the first powered vacuum cleaner model that used the technology of the vacuum tube. Dr. Helen Greiner at iRobot invented the Roomba vacuum cleaner, which entered the market in 2002. These small vacuums can be placed on the floor and roam around freely without the manual hardship of pushing it around. Public Transport Unless everybody drove – public transport is our only way of getting about! There is so many ways of getting to places now with the help from trains, buses, ferries, trams, aeroplanes – the lot! Before anyone bemoaned about the unreliability of public transport, the horse drawn omnibus originated in Paris and was brought to England by the coachbuilder George Shillibeer in 1829 and was used to take members of the community from place to place – albeit slowly. In 1909 the engineer Thomas Clarkson started the National Steam Car Company to run steam buses in London. As public transport has become a staple method of arriving at a pre-defined destination, more than 6.3m hybrid buses have been sold worldwide through March 2013 led by the Toyota Motor Company. As Technology continues to grow we would expect Technology to become more reliable and progress even further! I wonder what the future hold?

 

Architects – Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

Architecture, buildings, creative, design, famous, flowing, ideas, Inspiration, juices

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:51:42 +0000

Running an architectural firm now, in the second decade of the twentieth century, is very difficult. This is because, well, frankly speaking, there are many architects all over the world and each one has his or her ideas that can be better than yours, from a non-architectural point of view. This is the competition that exists in any business. The only way to beat it is to be the best and in order to be the best, you need to be creative. Now, creativity is something that comes and goes and sometimes you need a push. Well, this article is meant to do just that. In the following text, you will be able to see some the most famous buildings ever constructed. You have most certainly come across all of them, and if this is the case, then this article will serve as a reminder. Hell, there’s nothing wrong with using some ideas in order to create your own. As far as I know, that’s the way people do these things. Anyway, without further delay, here they are: 1. Guggenheim Museum, Spain First of all, a museum is something that is pretty much related to art. When talking about this museum in Spain, you cannot say anything else than something along the lines of: “well, this looks amazing”… Look at the image and see just how much effort was put in this by the designer Frank Gehry, a Canadian-American architect. The oval shapes are most certainly there to make the art showcased inside a bit more beautiful, if possible. 2. The Bird’s Nest, China This building is a stadium, and if you remember the 2008 Olympic Games, well, they were held here. Jacques Herzog, as well as Pierre de Meuron – these two are the ones that designed it – put a lot of effort in this one. Making something concrete and stable, as this building is, based on something that is random, like a birds nest, is something that cannot be easy, but I think they did it just fine. 3. Burj Khalifa, Dubai If you are someone who thinks that the Empire State Building is the tallest building in the world – news flash – it’s not. This architectural marvel is and its peak is 830 meters high. When you look at it from the ground, it looks like it is stabbing the sky. It was an extremely expensive design, done by Adrian Smith and it was finished in 2010. If you have seen the latest Mission Impossible movie, you can see the main protagonist, played by Tom Cruise, hanging from it – a cool scene, but not that good a movie, in my opinion. 4. Lotus Temple, India Nature is something that people lost touch with, and one of the reasons for that is our modern way of life, where we are alienated from nature by tall, monotone buildings… it is a bit depressing, isn’t it? Well, this architectural marvel serves to prove the opposite. It is inspired by one of the world’s most beautiful flowers, and it is, if nothing else, truly beautiful. Using motives from nature has been a source of inspiration for artists for thousands of years, and although some might argue, architecture is a form of art, so… you catch my drift… 5. California Academy of Sciences, USA Speaking of nature, this project is designed to completely fit in with the natural landscape surrounding it, when viewed from above – it has plants on the roof. It is said to be the greenest museum in the world, and I think it really is. I hope that these five were enough to get you going. Keep in mind though that nowadays, it is not enough that you have a good idea, a good design, and a good project. You have to make sure that your idea gets adequately promoted and recognized, so that your project sees the light of day. Many architects have many projects that ended in the trash only because no one wanted to invest in it. You neither want another piece of paper in the trash, nor another file in the Recycle Bin, do you? So, get those juices flowing and go out and make your building built. You do have the means to do it!

 

6 Internet Crazes Made Possible by Technology

Social Media, content, crazes, global, internet, memes, platform, public, Success, technology, viral

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:15:11 +0000

This article was written for Inspirationfeed by Chris Grasso. Chris Grasso is a native of Florida and only trusts satellite internet providers gaming and uploading what could be the next viral Internet sensation! Thanks for your time. Every month more than 500 million Facebook users share some 30 billion pieces of content with their friends. The cream of the crop become crazes, viral videos or internet memes that everybody’s talking about. Read on to discover the ways technology made our favorites possible. “Gangnam Style” Goes Global The music video for Psy’s breakthrough single “Gangnam Style” made internet history when it reached one billion YouTube views last December. Its success wouldn’t have been possible without the global video sharing platform, which allowed the South Korean pop star to upload his music to be viewed and distributed around the world. “In the past, music distribution was mostly regional. It was more difficult to learn about great artists from around the world,” explained YouTube trends manager Kevin Allocca. “But with a global platform at their fingertips, people are now discovering and sharing amazing music from all over the planet.” Rickrolling Revives Rick Astley’s Career British pop singer Rick Astley surged back in to the public eye in 2007 with the advent of Rickrolling. The trend was a kind of virtual bait and switch, where browsers clicked on seemingly relevant links, only to be redirected to the film clip for Astley’s 1987 smash “Never Gonna Give You Up.” On April Fool’s Day, 2008, global video sharing platform YouTube even got in on the act, Rickrolling any visitors who clicked on its featured videos. By mid-April 2008, an estimated 18 million Americans had been Rickrolled. Rickrolling stepped out of the virtual world when “Never Gonna Give You Up” was played unexpectedly during a New York Mets game and the 2008 Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. However, neither of these events would have made sense without the online buzz technology helped create. Planking, Owling, and Milking It seemed right to group these three together as they’re very similar at heart. It all began with planking, a pastime which saw folks lying down “plank style” in unusual locations. Then there was owling, another odd one which saw people mimicking perched owls. Perhaps the craziest of all is milking, a hobby which sees enthusiasts dumping entire gallons of milk over their heads in public. Without video and photo sharing sites for followers to distribute their efforts, we wouldn’t have a craze. We’d just have a bunch of disconnected people doing strange things in public. Grumpy Cat Takes Over the World In September 2012, photos of beloved moggy Tardar Sauce were uploaded to social news site Reddit and an internet star was born. Tardar Sauce became known as Grumpy Cat, the star of a photo meme which saw her complaining about laser pointers and volunteering to be pope across social networking sites. This technologically-driven fame saw Grumpy Cat cast in a new commercial for Friskies cat food. She also appeared at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, where fans waited in lines stretching three blocks to meet the curmudgeonly cat. Nyan Cat To go along with the cat theme, the Nyan Cat was quite intriguing in a strange way. A cartoon cat with a pop tart body riding a rainbow as music singing meow at a fast pace took off. This led to the sale of T-shirts and spinoffs of this video. Although not as large as some of the other internet crazes on this list, this took a certain demographic by storm. Posterizing People are always looking for the next big thing whether it be a viral video or a business idea. Posterizing in my personal opinion could be one of the funniest and newest crazes you may or may not have heard of. At my job, I am going to get a posterizing video done by “dunking” on a coworker. Who knows? This could be the spinoff of a craze that makes it big!

 

Google Glass – What’s All The Fuss About?

Technology, computing, experiences, glass, google, gps, information, internet, technology, ventures, wearable

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:35:16 +0000

This article was written for Inspirationfeed by Fraser Strand. Fraser specializes in technology, gadgets, and adventure sports. He often writes for specialist blogs such as The History Of Batteries and spends most of his time buying gadgets, sailing, camping, and falling out of planes. So you’ve probably heard about Google’s latest attempt to break into the hardware industry; Google Glass. But what’s it all about, why should you care, and how do you get one? These are the questions I’ll be answering after a quick aside from Google themselves: “Glass is a potentially transformative technology. It’s a window into the world’s information, and a new way to share experiences with those you care about.” - Google Ventures What’s It All About? The idea is that Google will free us from handheld and desktop devices altogether such that access to data is easy and immediate. To do this they have created a pair of glasses which can project interactive information into your field of vision and allow you to effortlessly perform tasks through voice commands and simple touches to the frame. Google claims that this device heralds a new world of “wearable computing” which will change our relationship with computers and with the internet. Their aim is that this device will become as ubiquitous as the mobile phone (but with game-changing consequences). A Google Glass device includes: a 5 megapixel camera (which can record 720p video), 16GB of storage, a touchpad on the side of the frame, Wifi, and Bluetooth. This spec allows you to film videos, take pictures, check emails, make calls/texts, navigate to your destination via GPS, and search the internet hands free. To achieve this experience, the Glass uses a small prism to project various interactive visual elements into the top-right area of your vision. This is designed to augment your reality so that you have continual access to information that can be layered on top of your normal field of vision; the screen that is projected to be the equivalent of looking at a 25-inch HD screen from 8 feet. As soon as data is overlaid over your vision, the benefits of Glass become very clear – GPS functionality becomes a seamless and intuitive experience, real-time translation is easy and hands free, and notifications from calls, texts, and emails are immediate and easy to deal with. Equally, the voice-recognition is meant to be extremely good and functions as well for calls as it does for voice commands (even in crowded rooms). When interviewed by The Guardian, Andrej Kostresevic stated that “I can walk around all day and respond to emails and text messages just by speaking, even in noisy rooms – it’s really cool.” Why Should I Care? You’re not alone in asking this question, many people are confused as to the value and practicality of continually “wearing” your phone or laptop (which is essentially the premise of this technology). Opinion ranges drastically from the extremely conservative nay-sayers who fear its effect on our human relationships and privacy, to the fanatics who believe it will change technology forever and pledge to wear it in the most extreme of places. In the same interview, Kostresevic qualified his earlier praise with the sentiment “however Glass is a bit of a mixed bag… overall feeling is just that it’s kind of a tease; it’s a glimpse into what could be possible, but the technology just isn’t there yet.” Major criticisms are levelled at the short battery life, the screen being hard to see in daylight, and the lack of applications and functionality. Google is primarily a software company and their forays into hardware have been mixed at best, let’s face it they wouldn’t be the first multi-national corporation to take a gamble into a new technology that doesn’t pay off – look at the Nokia N-Gage. So should you care about Glass at this point? Whether you can see yourself using them or not, this stands a very good chance of being a significant technical development: it’s a pioneering product backed by the largest digital company in the world; chances are it’s worth keeping an eye on. There also seems to be such a vivacious momentum surrounding Glass from within the Google campus that you can’t help but get carried away with it. From the ridiculous launch event with skydivers and BMXers donning the device, to the global competition and pre-launch fan base, the feeling is that Google believes in this 100%, with no holding back. So should you care? With that much weight behind it, absolutely yes. How Do I Get A Google Glass? Unfortunately you can’t. Not yet at least, the brilliant minds at Google allowed a sample of 8,000 contest winners who submitted a 50 word summary of what they would do if they won the device. These avid testers have got a first glimpse since late March but it didn’t come cheap; the device still cost them $1500 so Google is obviously keen to make sure their perceived value stays high (at the cost of tainting their benevolent public image by charging so much for a test product). The rumour mill has gone crazy as to whether they’re going to do another competition or whether they’ll be launching to the consumer market by Christmas. I won’t add to this speculation other than to say that the best way to stay up to date, is to sign up to Google Glass’s official mailing list at http://www.google.com/glass/start/how-to-get-one. Just make sure if you do get one, you use it for good and not evil…